I posted this topic on the Saudi forum, but wanted to get feedback about the UAE too. Some universities offer MA degrees (with real campuses) but they offer the online option as well. So the degree once you get it would not be any different from that attained by students on campus. It wouldn't mention anything about being online. Would these be fine for employers?

I checked out one particular uni I was interested in and I went to the UAE Ministry of Higher Education website and it was listed as an approved US Higher Education Institution...

Thus far, online degrees have been accepted by the Ministry of HIGHER education, but not by the Ministry of Education.

So, if you are looking to teach university level, it shouldn't make any difference if it is online. If you want to teach primary or secondary, they won't recognize an online MA, so best to just get certified.

Thanks VS, I'm looking forward to starting a distance MA at Leicester Uni in the UK in September. Is there a website I can double check the currently recognized degrees? I took a look at the MOHE website and emailed their HR department... but... still waiting for a reply...

...and alarmistlingly, a Lebanese colleague of mine swore black and blue that distance degrees were not recognized by the MOHE?! He was quite adamant??? Maybe I'll check with some guys at HCT this Thursday...

I know of many people who are at HCT with distance degrees... some did them while at HCT... one of them was just hired this year.

Sadly, I know of no list of accepted universities. (that would make it like... easy for us... wouldn't want that to happen...) It also gives on campus degrees right? The ones to avoid are those new places that just give online degrees and many of which have shady reputations.

I'm looking forward to starting a distance MA at Leicester Uni in the UK in September. Is there a website I can double check the currently recognized degrees? I took a look at the MOHE website and emailed their HR department... but... still waiting for a reply...

I doubt the HR department at the MoHE will be helpful (much less respond to you). Did you look at https://www.mohesr.gov.ae/en/institutes.aspx for the MoHE's list of recommended higher education institutions abroad and criteria for those institutions? There might be useful info for you. By the way, I hope you're aware that employers at the tertiary level are very likely to only count your post-grad degree teaching experience and not any of the time you taught prior to obtaining the degree.

I know of many people who are at HCT with distance degrees... some did them while at HCT... one of them was just hired this year.

Sadly, I know of no list of accepted universities. (that would make it like... easy for us... wouldn't want that to happen...) It also gives on campus degrees right? The ones to avoid are those new places that just give online degrees and many of which have shady reputations.

VS

Yup, it's a bricks and mortar campus and this MA is also done onsite. Thanks for the reassurance VS!

I doubt the HR department at the MoHE will be helpful (much less respond to you). Did you look at https://www.mohesr.gov.ae/en/institutes.aspx for the MoHE's list of recommended higher education institutions abroad and criteria for those institutions? There might be useful info for you. By the way, I hope you're aware that employers at the tertiary level are very likely to only count your post-grad degree teaching experience and not any of the time you taught prior to obtaining the degree.

Thanks for that Nomad, I'll take a look when I've got a minute. I'm aware of the worst case scenario for tertiary level employers looking at my quals... at the worst I'll have to wait 2 years after getting the MA. In the meantime I can pick up 14k per month work at a private primary school. The rules in the UAE are bendable, and I've been operating successfully at the "bendy end" for three years now.

Joined: 14 Feb 2013Posts: 18Location: Somewhere in the great wide open

Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2013 1:34 pm Post subject:

I know of several people who work at HCT with online degrees from regionally accredited universities. I also know that ADEC doesn't care if your degree is online or not as long as the university where you studied is accredited. Whatever they say the rules might be, they can be broken at any time!

There is a MA Tesol at Greensboro college in North Carolina, the good thing about this program is that it can be taken online but it requires a 5 week summer residency study where you would go to NC. This way its a hybrid degree and not just online.

If you know a "number" of uni that offer this then name them so b=people can benefit. Thats the whole point of this forum, and you didn't even explain what LE is for all we know it could mean anything.